Our Lady Mother of the Church, my parish, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with several special events this year. Tonight it was a sold out dinner at the Stoney Hill Inn in Hackensack NJ http://www.stonyhillinn.com/To describe the evening in terms of my all time favorite ad campaign:
Tuscany buffet dinner for 2 $130
Cocktails and wine $44
Tip parking attendant $1
Hearing Ciarán Sheehan perform to a private audience Priceless!
As it turns out, a parishioner is a close friend to Ciarán. Ciarán has performed in over 1,000 appearance as The Phantom. He performed two works tonight: You'll Never Walk Alone and Music of the Night from Phantom.
I've been to Broadway plays before, but I have never been so overtaken by a voice so powerful and intense in the intimate atmosphere of a restaurant dining room. He was honored with a standing ovation and rightfully so.
Ciarán sat at an adjacent table to mine. Actually I was seated directly behind him. After the flood of well-wishers came by to applaud him personally and after he finished his dinner, I moved to a vacant chair on his left and offered my personal thanks, telling hm his performance was worth more than the price of admission tonight. I asked Ciarán for his website which is posted here. You really should visit it.
Link: The Official Ciaran Sheehan Web Site
I told Ciarán about my own musical ability. How in the 6th grade Sister Mary Ricci decided to start a boys choir and that ALL the boys had to be in it. At the first practice, we boys sang whatever. I couldn't hold a note to save my life. As we were singing and I was off the octave scale, Sister Mary was making faces trying to track down the terribly off key voice. Yours truly was the first boy kicked out of the choir in less than 5 minutes of practice. I was the idol of every 6th grade boy who didn't want to be in the choir.
Now Ciarán Sheehan, on the other hand, related his story. He wanted to be an altar boy but turned up unknowingly at choir audition. He couldn't figure out why he had to sing so many songs for the nun or priest. He just wanted to hold the plate as the priest served Communion.
How different his life could have been had he not joined the choir.
Ciarán, at every chance I chide my Irish friends of 40 years, Walsh, Higgins, D'heron and Doughtery that all Irish cuisine can never hold a candle to one Italian Dish.
Well, Ciarán, you are to music what Italians are to food ... a love affair.
Thanks for a memorable evening.
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